


Our Growing Boy

by DavidtheWriter (DavidtheTraveler)



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Day 24: Blood, Gen, Giant/Tiny Content, HiddenDreamer67's October Giant/Tiny Prompts, Remus Sanders Mention, Tumblr Prompt, Zombie Mention, blood mention, deceit sanders mention - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 18:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21020255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavidtheTraveler/pseuds/DavidtheWriter
Summary: Virgil’s plans for Halloween are cast into doubt by the early arrival of his Papa.  And as they clean up the mess he’s made, he and Logan discuss the consequences of not following his parents’ rules, including what happened the last time Virgil messed with his dads’ secret project.





	Our Growing Boy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WinterWolf649](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterWolf649/gifts).

Crunch. Chomp. Smack.

With each noisy bite, more red streamed down his face, coating his jaw and dripping down onto his dirty mangled shirt. He chewed up the massive bite in his mouth, allowing the liquid to flow freely over his form before finally swallowing. He leaned back over his prize and was about to take another messy bite, when a slight creak behind him made him freeze.

“And just what do you think you’re doing, young man?”

Virgil slowly turned around, the warm thick liquid now dripping down his arms. A hot shame flashed through his face, embarrassed for himself at being caught.

There in the doorway to the back porch was Logan, his brow creased in stern disapproval.

Virgil nervously gulped, swallowing down the juice still in his mouth before trying to find his voice.

“I-I-..I was, was just, just trying to...to, uh...I was just, just...isn’t this a little early for you to get home?”

Logan allowed a slight smirk to appear on his face. “Yes, but school let out early today since it’s a holiday weekend. Now, would you care to explain why you’re covered in giant cherry juice?”

Virgil’s embarrassed blush deepened, almost starting to blend in with the red juice staining his face and clothes. “I was...I...”

After a few false starts, he finally sighed in defeat as his slouch deepened. It was ironic, really, how small his Papa could make him feel, even if he was almost twice as tall as him at full height.

“I wanted to make the blood for my costume look more authentic, and when I remembered what happened the last time Dad cut open a raw cherry, I...I figured he wouldn’t mind if I...I borrowed just one of them. I mean, you remember how long those stains lasted, even after Dad tried wiping himself down. I figured it would really sell the look. Plus, as long as he didn’t know, I figured he...he wouldn’t miss just one.”

Logan hummed in response, looking his son over. Finally, he reached behind himself and pulled out a towel, which he handed up to Virgil.

“Regardless of the fact that you do look rather terrifying with all that red dripping off your mouth, especially in conjunction with the use of these old tattered clothes you’re wearing, your Father and I have both expressed how important it is to follow our rules, especially in regards to the garden. Might I remind you what happened the last time you took something from there without permission?”

Virgil paused briefly before resuming wiping himself off, the flash of remembrance bringing up all the old memories. He could remember very well the taste of that massive orange the size of a basketball. How delicious it had been, how quickly it seemed to fill him up with its juices, and how that filling-up feeling had kept getting stronger and stronger as he outgrew his clothes and doubled in height.

And after that, all the memories of having to go to school as a freak of nature, permanently transformed because he broke his dad’s rules and had ended up getting dosed with his parents’ secret experimental growth formula designed to help grow larger, stronger sources of food for distribution in impoverished countries. The stares, the fearful murmurs, the endless teasing from the bullies who, even if he was big enough and strong enough to fight them off, he was too afraid of his own size and power to confront them.

Luckily for him, the year after that his dads had let him switch schools, which had allowed him to meet his new friends Roman Alteza and Thomas Sanders. They didn’t care that Virgil was a giant. They just liked this quiet but caring, if slightly intimidating, boy who was snarky and fun and willing to help out when something got stuck in a tree. Not to mention he was pretty good at getting Roman’s weird twin Remus and Thomas’ bratty cousin Daemon to leave them alone with his slightly threatening quips, once his new friends managed to help bring him out of his shell.

Virgil couldn’t help but smile at the recollections, but Logan’s lecturing tone as he continued brought him back to the present.

“Considering your current status, I would assume that you would have been more anxious about taking another sample from our experiments. We still have no way to reverse the formula’s effects, and even if we’ve managed to mostly work out the side effects from consumption of the fruit, there’s still the possibility of another reaction, especially for someone who’s already been dosed with the formula.”

Virgil hung his head, shame welling up inside him at his foolishness as he lowered himself down to sit on the porch.

“I’m sorry, Papa. I guess I just got so excited at the idea that I forgot about the consequences.”

Logan sighed, but reached out to take the towel from Virgil’s hand. While his long and lanky stature meant that he was quite a bit taller than the average man, he was barely taller than his son’s seated form. In truth, his son’s condition was just as much his and Patton’s fault as it was Virgil’s. After all, had they not been more careful about keeping their experiments protected, Virgil would not have even managed to get a hold of the altered orange.

With these thoughts in mind, he picked up rubbing off the excess juice from his son’s face where Virgil had left off, reaching out to grasp his shoulder with his other hand.

“Well, it would seem that there were no additional side effects from your consumption. And considering your previous record of exemplary behavior, I believe we can forego the need for a punishment for tonight.”

Virgil’s head shot up in excitement. “You mean, I can still go out with Roman and Thomas tonight?”

Logan nodded his head. “So long as you make sure to be home by ten.”

Virgil frowned. “But my usual curfew for weekends is--”

He came up short at Logan’s raised eyebrow, and immediately backpedaled. “Home by ten, got it.”

No sooner had Logan finished wiping off the remaining drips, a call from behind them announced Roman and Thomas’ arrival. Roman was decked out in a full-on classic Dracula get-up, complete with flowing cape and high collar. Thomas’ werewolf costume, by comparison, was much less intimidating, giving off more of a human-dog hybrid feel than that of a monstrous nightmare creature seeking human flesh.

“Hi Mr. Logan,” Thomas called as they came up to the porch.

“Greetings, Thomas. You are looking exceptional.” Thomas blushed but gave his thanks.

“Hey, Mama Lo,” Roman greeted, a playful smirk on his face.

Logan frowned slightly. “I believe I have mentioned my feelings toward that nickname more than a few times, Roman.”

“Ah, come on, Mr. Berry. You know how much you love it.” Roman looked as if he would have gladly kept on needling Logan, but the slightest increase in the crease of his brow told him it was best not to continue.

“So, are we ready?” Thomas asked after a brief awkward moment.

“Yeah, I think so,” Virgil replied, looking to his Papa for confirmation.

Logan smiled. “Yes, I believe you are. Remember, be home by ten. Otherwise, do have a good time tonight.”

Virgil smiled and pulled his Papa in for a hug. “Love you, Papa.”

“Love you too, son,” Logan answered as they pulled apart, Logan beaming at his son. Virgil smiled back and got to his feet, turning to join his two friends as they headed back to the rear gate they had first come through.

“Just remember to try and bring some of the candy back tonight. Just because you can eat eight times as much as the other boys doesn’t mean you should.”

“Okay, Pops,” Virgil called back as he carefully stepped over the fence into the back alley behind their home.

Just as Virgil turned to follow Roman and Thomas down the block, Logan heard the back door open and close behind him.

“Oh no, did I miss him? I wanted to wish him well before he headed out for the night.”

Logan turned to look down at his husband. Patton’s short, squat form was slumped slightly in disappointment. Logan wrapped his arm around the shorter man’s shoulders, pressing a kiss into his hair.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ve told him to be back by ten, so I’m certain you’ll still be able to see him tonight.”

Patton frowned up at Logan. “Ten? But didn’t we agree he could stay out later on weekends?”

“Yes, but I felt it prudent to pull back on that for tonight, considering the fact that he got hold of one of the new cherries.”

Patton paled at that. “What?! Is he okay? Did it do anything to him? Do we need to—”

It took a few moments to get Patton to calm down enough for Logan to explain what had happened. Once he did, he allowed Patton to rant out his feelings, from relief that nothing else had happened to Virgil because of their formula, to anger at Virgil’s poor decision, to the exuberant joy at having finally managed to get the formula to stop affecting humans when consumed via the fruit. By the time Patton had tired himself out, the sun had fully set, and the two were seated together on the back porch swing, lazily rocking back and forth and staring up at the stars.

“Logan,” Patton suddenly asked, “do you think we’re bad parents? I mean, Virgil wouldn’t be stuck like this if we had done a better job of taking care of him.”

Logan didn’t respond. He thought back to his own ruminations on that subject from earlier. But then he remembered all the times they’d had this conversation in the past, both with each other and with the counselor they’d sought out after the original incident.

“We’re not perfect,” he finally replied, but quickly continued when he felt Patton deflate slightly beside him. “But just because he’s not completely normal doesn’t mean we failed him. We’ve taught him what’s most important in life: to be kind and generous, loving and helpful. To be a good person and to take care of himself and others.

“Even if he’s a bit bigger than normal, it’s not the size of his body that’s going to really matter. It’s the size of his heart, and his is the biggest I’ve ever seen, except for maybe yours, mon couer.”

Patton giggled slightly at the old nickname and leaned up to meet Logan’s lips in a loving kiss.

The two would have probably gone on like that for some time, had a series of shrieking laughs not broken them out of their reverie. Looking down to the end of the alley, they could just barely make out a group of kids running down the alley from a towering zombie with dyed purple hair. Virgil was doing his best to keep up the act, but he couldn’t help but break character briefly to wave at his dads as he passed, Thomas and Roman jogging behind him to keep up.

Logan chuckled lightly at their son’s antics. “No matter what happens, I’m sure our boy is going to be just fine.”

Patton nodded in agreement, leaning his head into his husband’s chest as they resumed staring up at the stars. Logan was right. They weren’t perfect parents. But they had loved their son so much, and would always do so. And they knew they didn’t have to be perfect to know they had raised a son who was doing his best and who loved them just as much.

And if Virgil coming home on time that night and kneeling down to give his dads a big, strong hug before bed wasn’t proof of that, then they didn’t know what was.

**Author's Note:**

> A Tumblr Prompt from [xXAce_of_HeartsXx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXAce_of_HeartsXx), also using one of [HiddenDreamer67](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenDreamer67/pseuds/HiddenDreamer67)'s [October Giant/Tiny Prompts](https://davidthetraveler.tumblr.com/post/188288684473/arc852-hiddendreamer67-yup-i-made-a-prompt).
> 
> Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave a kudo or comment, or even come over and talk to me on [Tumblr](https://davidthetraveler.tumblr.com).


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